U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,554 (Griffin) discloses a urine collection device that includes a collection bag (12) into which urine flows through a line that has a one way flow valve (10) in it, the bag and valve being separate elements. The requirement that the valve and the bag be separate elements involves costs in manufacturing and assembly of the elements that could be reduced if the functions of these elements could be combined into a single element.
Other known prior art urine collection devices, for example, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,509 (Schneider et al.), substitute a separate member in the urine collection bag, which is usually called a flutter valve, to serve the function of the one-way valve of the aforesaid '554 patent, namely, to prevent urine from flowing or splashing in reverse from the bag back through the inlet fitment into an inlet tube that is normally connected to the fitment. The requirement for the incorporation of such a flutter valve also requires an element separate from the bag itself, and the manufacturing and assembly costs of such a device could also be reduced by combining the function of the bag and a separate one-way valve within the bag.
Another feature of known urine collection devices, for example, as taught by the aforesaid '509 patent, is the incorporation in the inlet fitment of the device of a plurality of steps of gradually reduced extent approaching the free end of the fitment in order to permit inlet tubes of varying internal diameters to be attached to the fitment. However, the varying extents of such steps, which extend normally of a flow axis of the fitment, can often lead to difficulty in manually, securely attaching an inlet tube to the inlet fitment.
It is also known that a normally-closed outlet fitment be attached to a bag of a urine collection device at an end opposed to the end to which the inlet fitment is attached. The aforesaid '509 patent teaches this construction. Such an outlet fitment usually incorporates an operable but normally-closed valve or clamp for manipulation by a user to empty the bag when the bag is strapped to a leg of the user. While U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,437 (Lowthian) discloses an outlet valve (slide tab 9) for a urine collection device that assertedly has one-hand opening characteristics (column 2, lines 47–51), most known prior art urine collection devices have outlet fitments with valves that require the patient to whom the device is secured to use both hands in opening and closing the valve.
As is taught, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,300 (Hirsch et al.), it is also important for many urine collection devices that they be capable of being removably strapped to a leg of user, both at a location near an inlet to the collection bag of the device and at a location near an outlet from the collection bag. However, the device of the '300 patent requires the use of a pair of straps at each location, with a releasable hook and loop (Velcro) connection between free ends of each, and this is an expensive construction. It is known that a single elastic strap can be substituted for the dual strap of the aforesaid '300 patent with a button at each inlet and outlet fitment around which the elastic strap at that location can be looped. However, known elastic strap engaging devices involve the use of a separate, molded strap-receiving button at each location, and this involves additional manufacturing and assembly costs that could be avoided if the strap receiving button at each location was molded integrally in a single piece with the fitment with which it is associated.